Presently, medication containers, typically bottles, are capped with a rubber-like stopper with a tamper-evident seal surrounding the stopper and at least the upper portion of the container. To administer the medication to the patient, the seal is removed, a syringe with a needle is used first, to puncture the rubber stopper then, to withdraw and administer the proper dosage to the patient.
The use of a needle constitutes a hazard, both to the doctor or nurse administering the medication and to the patient. There is, of course, the risk of inadvertent puncture to both the administrator and the patient as well as the more significant risk of the infection by blood-transmitted diseases between them. With the alarming spread of AIDS as well as the historical spread of hepatitis, one slip by the administrator can have devastating and permanent results.
Injection valves are already in use with intravenous injection tubes, making the use of a needle to inject medication into the patient superfluous. The present invention adds the key and final piece to the puzzle, enabling the utilization of a system for needleless medication transfer: a valved medication container. By using the valved medication container of the present invention, medication can be withdrawn from a container without the necessity of using a needle and injected through the IV flowport, thereby rendering the use, and associated risk of using, a needle obsolete.
Various other features, advantages and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent after a reading of the following detailed description thereof.